Poll: Sarkozy gains in French presidential race

PARIS - The Associated Press

A new poll indicates conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy is gaining ground against front-running Socialist Party nominee Francois Hollande in their expected faceoff in France’s presidential election this spring. Published in Sunday newspaper Journal du Dimanche, the poll shows Sarkozy would still lose, but by 46 percent to Hollande’s 54 percent compared with 57-43 percent in the weekly’s previous poll in November. Sarkozy hasn’t yet announced whether he will run, but most political observers believe he will. Most recent polls show that he would qualify for the May. 6 finale of the election after the April 22 first-round vote.The IFOP agency conducted the poll from Jan. 4-6, questioning 1,163 pre-selected participants who were considered to be representative of a cross-section of French voters. It said the margin of error was about 3 percent.